


Otter Exile

by merryghoul



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Anniversary, F/M, Ireland, Otters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-25
Updated: 2015-06-25
Packaged: 2018-04-06 03:39:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4206585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merryghoul/pseuds/merryghoul
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How the Doctor ended up living with otters for a month.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Otter Exile

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [two by two in the ark and the ache of it](https://archiveofourown.org/works/586903) by [areyoumarriedriver](https://archiveofourown.org/users/areyoumarriedriver/pseuds/areyoumarriedriver). 



> Fic Promptly: [Doctor Who, River Song, any wedding anniversary.](http://fic-promptly.dreamwidth.org/112659.html?thread=5348627#cmt5348627)

The Doctor had done this all before—letting the TARDIS materialise on Stormcage while waiting on River to trick the guards and get away from the facility just enough to use her vortex manipulator to get in the TARDIS. 

He wasn't expecting to have River staring him down when he said "Where do you want to go?"

River didn't say anything.

The Doctor blinked. His jaw dropped. "What?"

River didn't say anything.

"What did I do?"

River crossed her arms. "You forgot."

"Forgot what? What have I forgotten? What is it I'm forgetting?"

River looked down at the TARDIS floor, as if she was about to cry.

The Doctor flailed his arms around, walking in circles. "What have I done, River? Can you tell me what I did? This silent treatment isn't helping me figure out what you want."

River looked up and saw the Doctor flailing around the console. "Stop flailing about like an otter."

"You want me to live among otters?"

"No. I said--"

"I'm going to live among otters!" The Doctor pressed some buttons on River's vortex manipulator, sending her back outside Stormcage. The Doctor materialised away from Stormcage.

River rolled her eyes and sighed. She returned to her cell.

 

A month later, the TARDIS materialised near Stormcage. River escaped out of her cell and teleported onto the TARDIS.

She was stunned to find the Doctor not at the console.

River walked towards the console. The TARDIS was moving its levers by itself.

"The Doctor is in trouble and you want me to fly to him."

The TARDIS kept moving its levers.

River nodded and grabbed the TARDIS' levers. "I'm on my way."

 

The TARDIS took River to Muckross Lake in Ireland, near an otter couch. The Doctor was sitting near this couch with three otters crawling all over him.

River stepped out of the TARDIS and saw the Doctor with the otters. "Doctor, what on earth are you doing?"

The Doctor patted the otter on his head. "Wet." He stroked the otter crawling up his left leg. "Dirty." He stroked the otter in his lap. "Wiggly. This is River Song."

The Doctor let Wet talk into his ear.

"Yes, she is what you're calling her. But humans consider that offensive. Best not to say it."

"I didn't tell you to live with otters for a month."

"Yes you did."

"No I didn't. I said you were moving like an otter, not to live with otters. You decided to live with otters."

"At least they talk to me."

River sat beside the Doctor.

"Oi, don't sit in front of their couch. You'll trap Bob."

"I'm guessing Bob's still in the couch."

The Doctor nodded.

"It's okay. I should've told you why I was mad."

"Why were you mad?"

"I thought you forgot what April twenty-second was. And then I realised I was greedy. I wanted you all for myself. Sometimes I do forget that you are the Doctor. You have monsters to fight, people to save, universes to preserve. You can't always be there on April twenty-second. I understand now. And I forgive you."

The Doctor nodded his head slowly, not knowing what River meant by "April twenty-second.". He didn't know he was married to River—it hadn't happened in his timeline just yet.

"Doctor, your TARDIS needs you. It went all the way to Stormcage to get me to talk to you."

"But I want you to meet Bob."

"I don't have to meet Bob. The least you can do is take me back to Stormcage. If it makes you feel better, you can have Wet tell Bob I said hello."

The Doctor told Wet to tell Bob hello.

"Just say River is a friend of mine. Don't call her that. I told you, it's disrespectful to call human females that. Goodbye, Wet, Dirty, Wiggly."

River moved away from the otters' couch and the otters went back in.

"I know what Wet was trying to call me, sweetie," River said as she walked back into the TARDIS. "You can call me that. I'll let you know when and where."

The Doctor blinked his eyes. "Wh-what?"

"Spoilers."


End file.
